Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal Report 2016
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Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal Report 2016 CHERBOURG Gympie ABORIGINAL SHIRE GYMPIE TORRES STRAIT NOOSA Cherbourg REGIONAL ISLAND REGIONAL SHIRE TORRES Tewantin Thursday SHIRE Island SOUTH Bamaga BURNETT REGIONAL NORTHERN PENINSULA AREA REGIONAL SUNSHINE COAST Maroochydore REGIONAL MAPOON ABORIGINAL SHIRE Caloundra Mapoon WEIPA TOWN AUTHORITY Lockhart SOMERSET River REGIONAL Caboolture NAPRANUM LOCKHART RIVER ABORIGINAL ABORIGINAL SHIRE MORETON BAY SHIRE Aurukun REGIONAL Esk Redcliffe AURUKUN SHIRE COOK SHIRE TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL PORMPURAAW ABORIGINAL BRISBANE Brisbane Cleveland SHIRE HOPE VALE CITY ABORIGINAL Toowoomba Gatton Pormpuraaw REDLAND SHIRE Ipswich CITY Hope LOCKYER IPSWICH Logan KOWANYAMA WUJAL WUJAL Vale VAL LEY CITY ABORIGINAL ABORIGINAL SHIRE SHIRE Kowanyama REGIONAL LOGAN Cooktown CITY Wujal GOLD Wujal COAST CITY Southport Port DOUGLAS SHIRE Beaudesert Douglas YARRABAH SCENIC RIM SOUTHERN REGIONAL Gununa ABORIGINAL Cairns SHIRE DOWNS Coolangatta CARPENTARIA REGIONAL MAREEBA Mareeba MORNINGTON SHIRE SHIRE Yarrabah SHIRE Warwick Atherton CAIRNS REGIONAL DOOMADGEE ABORIGINAL Normanton SHIRE Burketown Doomadgee Tully CASSOWARY COAST CROYDON TABLELANDS BURKE Croydon Georgetown REGIONAL SHIRE REGIONAL SHIRE ETHERIDGE Ingham Palm SHIRE HINCHINBROOK Island PALM ISLAND SHIRE AORIGINAL SHIRE TOWNSVILLE CITY Townsville BURDEKIN Ayr SHIRE Charters MOUNT CHARTERS Towers ISA CITY RICHMOND TOWERS MCKINLAY SHIRE REGIONAL Proserpine SHIRE WHITSUNDAY Mount Julia Cloncurry Richmond REGIONAL Isa Creek Hughenden MACKAY FLINDERS REGIONAL Mackay CLONCURRY SHIRE SHIRE Moranbah ISAAC REGIONAL Winton WINTON LIVINGSTONE BOULIA SHIRE Dysart SHIRE SHIRE Boulia BARCALDINE REGIONAL Yeppoon WOORABINDA Longreach Rockhampton Barcaldine Emerald ABORIGINAL SHIRE LONGREACH GLADSTONE REGIONAL CENTRAL Gladstone REGIONAL HIGHLANDS Woorabinda REGIONAL Bedourie Blackall Banana BUNDABERG BLACKALL REGIONAL DIAMANTINA TAMBO BANANA Monto Bundaberg SHIRE REGIONAL BARCOO Jundah SHIRE FRASER SHIRE NORTH COAST BURNETT REGIONAL REGIONAL Maryborough SOUTH GYMPIE MURWEH BURNETT REGIONAL REGIONAL SHIRE QUILPIE WESTERN SHIRE Charleville DOWNS Kingaroy Quilpie MARANOA Roma REGIONAL REGIONAL Chinchilla Dalby Refer Inset TOOWOOMBA BULLOO Thargomindah St George REGIONAL SHIRE Cunnamulla PAROO SHIRE BALONNE GOONDIWINDI SHIRE REGIONAL Goondiwindi Stanthorpe SOUTHERN DOWNS REGIONAL Legend 050 100 200 300 Population Centres 2016 Local Government LGA Boundary Kilometres Coordinate System: GCS GDA 1994 Area Boundaries Datum: GDA 1994 Units: Degree Map produced by the Department of State Development Spatial Services Unit, 29/11/2016 © Copyright the State of Queensland (Department of State Development) 2016. No liability accepted for any loss or damage which may arise from the use or reliance upon this Path: S:\Projects\FAQ web maps\MXD\20161129_LGABoundaries_DILGPBanner_A3.mxd information Map produced by the Department of State Development Spatial Services Unit, 29/11/2016 Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal 1 December 2016 The Honourable Jackie Trad MP Deputy Premier Minister for Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Trade and Investment Level 39 1 William Street Brisbane QLD 4000 Dear Deputy Premier, On 24 November 2016 the Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal concluded its review of remuneration for mayors, deputy mayors and councillors of Local Governments as required by Chapter 8, Part 1, Division 1 of the Local Government Regulation 2012. Our determinations on the matters we are required to address, as well as the remuneration schedule to apply from 1 July 2017 and a summary and outcome of the discipline matters decided by the Tribunal in 2016, are included in the enclosed report, which we commend to you. Yours sincerely Mr Col Meng Deputy President Adrian Bloomfield Mr Brian Bartley Chairperson Member Member © The State of Queensland, November 2016. Published by the Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, 1 William Street, Brisbane Qld 4000, Australia. Licence: This work is licensed under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 Australia licence. To view a copy of the licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Enquiries about this licence or any copyright issues can be directed to the department by email to [email protected] or in writing to PO Box 15009, City East, Qld 4002. Attribution: The State of Queensland, Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning. The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of information. However, copyright protects this publication. The State of Queensland has no objection to this material being reproduced, made available online or electronically but only if it is recognised as the owner of the copyright and this material remains unaltered. The Queensland Government is committed to providing accessible services to Queenslanders of all cultural and linguistic backgrounds. If you have difficulty understanding this publication and need a translator, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to telephone the Queensland Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning on 13 QGOV (13 74 68). Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in preparing this publication, the State of Queensland accepts no responsibility for decisions or actions taken as a result of any data, information, statement or advice, expressed or implied, contained within. To the best of our knowledge, the content was correct at the time of publishing. Any references to legislation are not an interpretation of the law. They are to be used as a guide only. The information in this publication is general and does not take into account individual circumstances or situations. Where appropriate, independent legal advice should be sought. An electronic copy of this report is available on the Tribunal’s website at www.dilgp.qld.gov.au/local-government/remuneration/tribunal- reports.html - 2 - Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal – Remuneration Report 2016 Contents 2016 Report at a glance 4 Remuneration determination 4 Discipline matters 4 1. The Tribunal 5 Formation and composition 5 Responsibilities of the Tribunal 6 Remuneration responsibilities 6 Discipline responsibilities 6 Previous reports of the Tribunal 7 2. Discipline matters 9 Matters referred to the Tribunal 9 3. Remuneration determination 11 Method of remunerating councillors in Category 1 11 Expenses 11 Superannuation 11 Pro rata payment 12 Remuneration schedule 12 Remuneration schedule (to apply from 1 July 2017) 13 Notes to the remuneration schedule 15 4. Other activities of the Tribunal 16 Exceptional circumstances submissions 16 Submissions received by the Tribunal 16 Meetings and deputations with stakeholders 16 Review of councillor complaints process 16 Appendix 1 – Submissions received by the Tribunal 17 Appendix 2 – Stakeholders who met with the Tribunal 19 Appendix 3 – Comparative data 22 - 3 - Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal – Remuneration Report 2016 2016 Report at a glance Remuneration determination The Tribunal has decided to: • increase remuneration levels for mayors, deputy mayors and councillors by 2.0% from 1 July 2017 • elevate Maranoa Regional Council from Category 2 to Category 3. In making its determination the Tribunal has considered the following facts and circumstances: • increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the financial year ended 30 June 2016, as follows: o weighted average of the eight capital cities – 1.4% o Brisbane – 1.6% • increases in the Wage Price Index (WPI) for the financial year ended 30 June 2016, as follows: o Australia – 2.1% o Queensland – 1.9% • Determination 12/2016 (2 August 2016) of the Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal which increased remuneration levels for Members of the Legislative Assembly by 2.25% from 1 September in each of 2015, 2016 and 2017 • the decision of the (federal) Remuneration Tribunal not to increase remuneration levels for Members of the Federal Parliament and Senate ‘until well into 2017’, with the last increase of 2.0% from 1 January 2016 being the only increase in remuneration for federal parliamentarians since 1 July 2013 • anecdotal reports of continuing financial pressures being experienced by many local governments • the conservative approach to the setting of remuneration levels previously adopted by the Tribunal. Discipline matters There were 12 allegations of serious misconduct, involving five councillors, decided by the Tribunal in 2016, the majority of which concerned alleged release of information that the councillor knew, or should reasonably have known, was confidential to the local government. - 4 - Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal – Remuneration Report 2016 1. The Tribunal Formation and composition of the Tribunal The Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal is an independent entity established under the Local Government Act 2009 (the Act). On 26 June 2014, Her Excellency the then Governor, approved the appointment of a Chairperson and Members to the Tribunal from 1 July 2014 for a four year term. The current members of the Tribunal are: Colin (Col) Meng – Chairperson (1 July 2015 to 30 June 2018). Member (1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015) Col Meng served as Mayor of Mackay Regional Council for a four-year term from 2008 to 2012 then as Queensland Boundaries Commissioner